How does this years roster stack up to last years?

[basketballjones]

27 minutes ago, Huskerpapa said:

"And obviously they have upperclassmen, experienced players coming back as well that's going to keep it competitive," Allick said. "Like C.J. Wilcher, Juwan Gary and Blaise Keita. From that side of it, it's not like there's a guaranteed starting spot. I know that I'm going to have to work for it and it's going to be competitive trying to earn those spots. It also just means that there's a lot of options for doing versatile lineups."

Showing up understanding starting spots aren't in anybody's pocket is appealing to someone with Allick's competitive mindset.

"Just knowing that guys are going to have to be getting after it in practice and establishing themselves as productive reliable guys and coming together, I think that's really good just for getting the team prepared in the early season."

Reading this was a breath of fresh air. 

[cornfed24-7]

52 minutes ago, 49r said:

We also got lucky in more than one of our games against teams who normally shoot the 3 well (and depend on that a lot) had an off night and shot like in the teens against us, coincidentally when we game planned to give those teams open looks at 3 to prevent giving up a lot of easy lay-ins/putbacks.

 

Also, we got lucky that a normally well-disciplined team with the ball at the end of the game and a chance to win had their point guard decide all of a sudden to play yolo hero ball and miss a 28 foot fadeaway 3 at the buzzer.

I get it. I was there with you last season. We're Nebraska basketball. And its easy to say our breaks are nothing but cosmic luck. But this take completely discounts everything this team did to make those "lucky" breaks happen. 

[hhcmatt]

All of Allick's quotes about transferring have the implication that playing in an offense with Jamal Mashburn Jr and Jalen House sucked.

[Art Vandalay]

7 hours ago, 49r said:

We also got lucky in more than one of our games against teams who normally shoot the 3 well (and depend on that a lot) had an off night and shot like in the teens against us, coincidentally when we game planned to give those teams open looks at 3 to prevent giving up a lot of easy lay-ins/putbacks.

 

Also, we got lucky that a normally well-disciplined team with the ball at the end of the game and a chance to win had their point guard decide all of a sudden to play yolo hero ball and miss a 28 foot fadeaway 3 at the buzzer.

Still seems odd that it’s luck when we win but other teams are not lucky when Walker has 8 TO’s or we shoot like crap.  I get it we always expect the worse but we were a decent team last year. Even a bad call vs Purdue (how’s that not bad luck) from the NIT. We beat Iowa twice, that means we were the better team.

 

I stand by the fact we were very unlucky last year.

[hhcmatt]

Last year we had 7 scholarship players who had D1 experience on the roster, 4 of whom played at UNL the prior season. Those players had 17 combined years of D1 experience.

 

This year we have 9 scholarship players who had D1 experience on the roster, 5 of whom played at UNL the prior season. Those players will have 23 combined years of D1 experience.

 

 

2022-23	D-1		2023-24	D-1
Griesel, Sam	4		Tominaga, Keisei	2
Walker, Derrick	4		Josiah Allick	4
Bandoumel, E.	3		Gary, Juwan	3
Gary, Juwan	2		Ahron Ulis	3
Tominaga, Keisei	1		Williams, Brice	3
Wilcher, CJ	2		Mast, Rienk	3
Breidenbach, Wilhelm	1		Wilcher, CJ	3
Keita, Blaise	0		Keita, Blaise	1
Kojenets, Oleg	0		Lloyd, Ramel	0
McPherson, Quaran	0		Lawrence, Jamarques	1
Lloyd, Ramel	0		Rice, Eli	0
Dawson, Denim	0		** OPEN **	0
Lawrence, Jamarques	0		** OPEN **	0

 

 

[Norm Peterson]

Answering the question posed in the OP:

 

Players Expected to be Marginally Improved Based Simply on Added Year of Experience:

 

Tominaga (although his cohesion with Walker will be difficult to replicate)

Lawrence (big beneficiary of injury to Bandoumel, but beware sophomore slump)

Gary (fingers crossed for healthy shoulder)

Wilcher (less mental interference might mean big step forward)

Lloyd (will have benefited from just physical development as well as practices but won't have game experience to build from)

Keita (if healthy, could take a big jump forward, but needs reps to understand his role)

 

New Players Replacing Departures:

 

Graduates:

 

Walker => Mast (huge shoes to fill; Walker's assist numbers vs. Mast's perimeter shooting)

Griesel => Ulis (Griesel ended up better than we had any reason to expect; no idea what to expect from a guy who started for an NCAA tourney team)

Bandoumel => Williams (probably a downgrade on defensive ability; quite a bit of an upgrade as a shooter)

 

Portal Transfers:

 

Breidenbach => Allick (I'd say this is an upgrade, but time will tell. Allick needs to get back to the 3-pt accuracy he displayed at UMKC)

Dawson => Rice (No natural corresponding spot other than both freshman guards; just like what I've seen of Rice better than Denim)

Kojenets => Open spot

McPherson => Open spot

 

Bottom line: I think we'll be OK but big question marks for Walker's and Griesel's replacements. This looks to me like a post-season team.

[k3s3i]

i was listening to owh half court press pod earlier and sam mckewins projected lineup for us was 

 

ullis 

lawrence 

gary 

allick 

mast

[Norm Peterson]

49 minutes ago, k3s3i said:

i was listening to owh half court press pod earlier and sam mckewins projected lineup for us was 

 

ullis 

lawrence 

gary 

allick 

mast

 

No way.

 

You sure he didn't say Ulis Lawrence KEISEI Allick Mast?

Edited May 10, 2023 by Norm Peterson

[k3s3i]

30 minutes ago, Norm Peterson said:

 

No way.

 

You sure he didn't say Ulis Lawrence KEISEI Allick Mast?

lmao yea i’m sure 

 

who do y’all think gets the nod for starting 4?

[Art Vandalay]

2 hours ago, k3s3i said:

i was listening to owh half court press pod earlier and sam mckewins projected lineup for us was 

 

ullis 

lawrence 

gary 

allick 

mast

Sam is full of horrid takes, so this sounds about right

[49r]

10 minutes ago, Art Vandalay said:

Sam is full of horrid takes, so this sounds about right

 

Par for the course for the World-Herald.

[millerhusker]

3 hours ago, k3s3i said:

i was listening to owh half court press pod earlier and sam mckewins projected lineup for us was 

 

ullis 

lawrence 

gary 

allick 

mast

McKewon is clueless. There are a handful of different possible starting lineups and this is definitely not one of them. 

[Handy Johnson]

There’s NO Way Williams doesn’t Start. 

[Milk]

17 minutes ago, Handy Johnson said:

There’s NO Way Williams doesn’t Start. 

I doubt he starts over KT and Lawrence 

[Handy Johnson]

3 minutes ago, Milk said:

I doubt he starts over KT and Lawrence 

Williams

KT

Mast

Allick 

Lloyd/Ulis 

[k3s3i]

10 minutes ago, Milk said:

I doubt he starts over KT and Lawrence 

williams will be one of our better players, wouldn’t be surprised if he ended up being the best 

[Huskerpapa]

I sort of think that the line-up that starts the season will not be the line-up that starts conference play.  

I am anxious to see the posturing start.

[huskerbill85]

4 hours ago, k3s3i said:

i was listening to owh half court press pod earlier and sam mckewins projected lineup for us was 

 

ullis 

lawrence 

gary 

allick 

mast

Well damn I feel really dumb because I didn't know they had a basketball pod I'm a big fan of the Pick 6 podcast. Thanks for the share!

[k3s3i]

7 minutes ago, huskerbill85 said:

Well damn I feel really dumb because I didn't know they had a basketball pod I'm a big fan of the Pick 6 podcast. Thanks for the share!

no problem! unfortunately they also talk about creighton though, but i hope you enjoy 

[Handy Johnson]

I’m tempted to give Sam an earful when I see him at the Coffee Shop, but I know the main reason he goes there is cuz it’s on the “Down Low” 

[HB]

1 minute ago, Handy Johnson said:

I’m tempted to give Sam an earful when I see him at the Coffee Shop, but I know the main reason he goes there is cuz it’s on the “Down Low” 

Sam loves him some Amy Williams.  Been an unabashed fan boy for 7 years.  

[Handy Johnson]

15 minutes ago, HB said:

Sam loves him some Amy Williams.  Been an unabashed fan boy for 7 years.  

I don’t know about any of that, I just leave him be cuz he’s there to write & not have me set him straight about who should be Starting for the Huskers. 

[Crush78]

5 hours ago, k3s3i said:

i was listening to owh half court press pod earlier and sam mckewins projected lineup for us was 

 

ullis 

lawrence 

gary 

allick 

mast

He hedged on that later on when he was talking d matchups w creighton as an example and made it sound like Ulis or Lawrence would be 1 starter. Didn't mention Williams or Tominaga.  So I'd imagine 1 of them would be the 5th starter in his mind. 

 

Lorenzi(creighton beat writer & cohost) seemed pretty incredulous when Sam said starting 3-4-5 would be Gary-Allick-Mast. I'd agree, I think 2 of those 3 start alongside Tominaga and 1 of Lawrence/Williams & 1 of Ulis/Lloyd

[HuscurAdam]

14 hours ago, k3s3i said:

i was listening to owh half court press pod earlier and sam mckewins projected lineup for us was 

 

ullis 

lawrence 

gary 

allick 

mast

 

I'd bet dollars to doughnuts that not only is this not the starting lineup, but that lineup isn't used more than 10% of the time. My guess would be something like this:

 

Lloyd (or Ulis)

Lawrence

Keisei  

Gary 

Mast

 

* Williams plays starter-like minutes at the 2-3-4 spots

[hhcmatt]

12 hours ago, 49r said:

Par for the course for the World-Herald.

 

The Journal Star and the World Herald are basically the same thing right now as they're both owned by the same corporation that is slowly killing it.